NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A woman crossed a barrier at the Bronx Zoo lion exhibit Thursday before dancing with roses and throwing cash into the air just feet away from a big cat, video shows.
The video obtained by WNBC shows the woman donning a blonde wig, red dress and leopard-print shawl after jumping a barrier at the enclosure.
The woman waves and dances with bouquets of roses before apparently tossing $100 bills in the air, all while a lion walks nearby.
“I missed him so much,” she reportedly said. “King, I love you, I came back for you.”
A Bronx Zoo spokesperson told WNBC that the woman was not in danger as she was separated from the lion by a protective moat. She had disappeared by the time staff arrived.
“The woman did not enter the exhibit and was never in the same space as the lions which are separated from zoo visitors by a wide moat,” the spokesperson said. “The incident lasted only a couple of minutes and the woman was gone when staff arrived on scene. The zoo intends to prosecute the woman for criminal trespass if she is identified.”
The stunt is similar to an incident from 2019, when Myah Autry climbed a barrier at the exhibit and danced in front of lions. She ultimately turned herself in and was charged with criminal trespass.
Witnesses told WNBC that it appears the woman in Thursday’s incident could be Autry, based on her Instagram page, where she’s seen with blonde hair and a leopard-print shawl like the woman in the video. However, authorities have not said there's any link between the two incidents.
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